When-if Ever-Was Cycling Drug-Free? When-if Ever-Was Cycling Drug-Free? Share Armstrong riding in the 2005 Tour de France. Credit: Bjarte Hetland via Wikimedia Commons It s a great rarity today for someone to achieve athletic success who doesn t take drugs. That quote seems rather timely, in the wake of the news that cyclist Lance Armstrong will no longer fight the accusations of doping leveled at him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency . The charges may cost Armstrong all seven of his Tour de France titles. The development in Armstrong s case follows two recent drug suspensions in baseball in the past 10 days Melky Cabrera, an All-Star outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, and Bartolo Col n, a starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, both received 50-game bans after testing positive for artificial testosterone. But the quote above has nothing to do with modern-day athletics. It comes from a retired track coach quoted in a 1971 New York Times Magazine article.

(The article s author, sportswriter and activist Jack Scott, who died in 2000, has one of the more interesting biographies you ll find Oberlin College athletic director, Bill Walton confidant, onetime suspected associate of the Symbionese Liberation Army.) Whether or not the coach s statement then was somewhat hyperbolic, it s clear that the drug problem has loomed over the sports world for a long time. And although the abuses in cycling have become harder to ignore in just the past two decades, the sport has been home to all manner of chemical enhancements for more than 100 years. Jacques Anquetil, a French cyclist who won the Tour de France five times in the 1950s and 1960s, openly admitted to doping. Everyone in cycling dopes himself, he said in Scott s 1971 article. Those who claim they don t are liars.

In Anquetil s era, the agents of choice were stimulants such as amphetamines, but as early as the late 1800s cyclists fueled up with a mixture of coca leaf extract and wine called Vin Mariani, according to a 1983 Hastings Center report . Baseball, too, had its period of rampant amphetamine use, which is viewed in an almost nostalgic light now that stronger performance enhancers such as anabolic steroids and human growth hormone have tainted the game s image. But in endurance sports such as cycling, performance enhancement can be especially deadly. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, a Danish cyclist named Knud Enemark Jensen lost consciousness during a race, fell from his bicycle and died. Postmortem tests reportedly revealed the presence of amphetamines in his system. After English rider Tom Simpson collapsed and died during the 1967 Tour de France, amphetamines were found both in his bloodstream and in a vial tucked inside his jersey. More recently, cyclists have boosted their endurance with the use of an artificial version of the hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, which stimulates red blood cell production and boosts the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood.

Danish cyclist Bjarne Riis, who won the 1996 Tour de France, later admitted that he used EPO during that time. EPO thickens the blood, and it also has proved dangerous. After a spate of suspicious rider deaths, a 1991 New York Times article highlighted the deadly potential of the drug du jour. “There is no absolute proof, but there’s so much smoke that most of us are convinced,” University of Oklahoma hematologist Randy Eichner told the newspaper. “You just don’t get 18 deaths in four years, mysteriously, with 10 of them attributed to cardiac problems.” Cycling insiders, too, noticed drastic changes in 1991. That is the year that three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond thinks that EPO took over his sport. As he told Scientific American writer Michael Shermer in 2008 , Something was different in the 1991 Tour. There were riders from previous years who couldn t stay on my wheel who were now dropping me on even modest climbs. LeMond had won the race the two previous years, but he fell to seventh place in 1991.

Indeed, since the mid-1990s there have been few Tour winners who did not later run afoul of antidoping authorities. A quick look at 15 years of victors: 1996: Bjarne Riis (EPO; retains title) 1997: Jan Ullrich, Germany (found guilty of doping in 2012; race results annulled back to 2005) 1998: Marco Pantani, Italy (failed a blood test at the 1999 Giro d’Italia; died of a cocaine overdose in 2004) 1999 2005: Lance Armstrong, U.S. (accused of doping; titles likely to be stripped ) 2006: Floyd Landis, U.S.

(race-day tests revealed elevated testosterone levels ; title stripped) 2007: Alberto Contador, Spain (see below) 2008: Carlos Sastre, Spain (clean) 2009 2010: Contador (tested positive in 2010 for clenbuterol, an anabolic agent; 2010 title stripped) It s a sad state of affairs, but perhaps the latest developments will provide some vindication for LeMond, who has long voiced suspicions about Armstrong, Contador and others. If Armstrong s seven Tour wins are vacated, just as Landis s 2006 victory was, LeMond will once again become the only American cyclist to have officially won the world s most prestigious race. Follow Scientific American on Twitter @SciAm and @SciamBlogs . Visit ScientificAmerican.com for the latest in science, health and technology news. © 2012 ScientificAmerican.com . All rights reserved.

Reblog bernard hinault - 必应 Sign in Bernard Hinault Bernard Hinault (pronounced: [bɛʁ.naʁ i.no]; born 14 November 1954) is a French former cyclist who won the Tour de France five times. He is one of only six cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and one of two cyclists to have won each more than once (the other being Alberto Contador). He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985. He came second in 1984 and 1986 and won 28 stages, of which 13 were individual time trials. The other three to have achieved five Tour de France victories are Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Ind ... (展开) urain; of these, Hinault is the only one to have finished either first or second in each Tour de France he finished. He remains the last French winner of the Tour de France.

Hinault was nicknamed Le Blaireau (the badger), as he would often don a hairband, thus resembling a shaving brush. In an interview in the French magazine Vélo, however, Hinault said the nickname had nothing to do with the animal. He said it was a local cyclists' way of saying "mate" or "buddy" in his youth – "How's it going, badger?" – and that it came to refer to him personally. According to Maurice Le Guilloux, a long-time team-mate of Hinault, he and Georges Talbourdet first used the nickname when the three riders trained together in their native Brittany in the early years of Hinault's professional career. What in the name of Bernard Hinault is going on at the Tour? 答 That can be the only response of racing fans to this year&#8217;s Tour de France, which has been one of the most memorable in recent history. Meet Bernard Hinault, a Legendary Cyclist of the Tour De France! 答 Winning the Tour de France is a feather in the cap for any rider!

There are quite a few legends in the cycling arena to have achieved this feat not once, but se 1975–1977: Gitane Hinault started professional cycling in 1974. Hinault became friends with Cyrille Guimard, who was ending his career in part due to a knee injury. Guimard became a directeur sportif for the Gitane team and Hinault joined his team. In 1976, Hinault scored an early victory in Paris–Camembert. He demonstrated his time trial strength as he maintained his thin lead to the finish. That year, Guimard spurred Lucien Van Impe to his only win in the Tour de France. Taking Guimard's advice, Hinault did not enter in 1977. Yet he had demonstrated his talent in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré where he beat many Tour favourites including eventual winner Bernard Thevenet. Of note in the Dauphiné Libéré that year was one of the mountain stages. Hinault, wearing the yellow jersey, was at the front after an attack on the ascent and heading for victory.

But he crashed descending the mountain, climbed up from the roadside and got back on his bike for the win in Bastille of Grenoble. 1978–1983: Renault To prepare for the 1978 Tour de France, Hinault rode his first grand tour, the Vuelta a España. He won and felt ready for his first Tour de France. Before the Tour, he won the national championship, which allowed him to wear the tricolour. This tour became a battle with Joop Zoetemelk, Hinault taking the yellow jersey after the final time trial. He was hailed as the next great French cyclist and won the Tour again in 1979. At the start of the 1980 season Hinault and Guimard's aim for the season was to win cycling's Triple Crown – the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the world championships, which had previously only been won in the same year by Eddy Merckx. Hinault won that year's Giro, clinching the race with an attack on the Stelvio Pass.

In the 1980 Tour de France he abandoned the race while wearing the yellow jersey because of a knee injury but he returned to win the world championship in Sallanches that year. The following year, 1981, wearing the rainbow jersey, he won Paris–Roubaix and returned to victory in the 1981 Tour and then again in 1982. He missed the Tour in 1983, again because of knee problems. The organiser, Jacques Goddet, said in his autobiography L'Équipée Belle that Hinault's problems came from pushing gears that were too high. During Hinault's absence, his teammate Laurent Fignon rose to prominence by winning the Tour in 1983. 1984–1986: La Vie Claire In the 1984 Tour de France Fignon won with Hinault second at more than 10 minutes. Disagreements with Guimard led to their separation, and by the mid-1980s Hinault had become associated with the Swiss coach Paul Koechli and the La Vie Claire team.

Koechli introduced meditation and relaxation, and these helped Hinault return to the Tour with a victory in 1985. That year he rode much of the race with a black eye after a crash. In 1985 Hinault's lieutenant Greg LeMond was under pressure from Koechli and his team manager to support Hinault and not try for victory. Years later, LeMond claimed in an interview that they had lied about his lead over Hinault in a mountain stage, forcing him to lose several minutes and his chance of victory. Hinault also rode the 1986 Tour, ostensibly to return LeMond's favor of the previous year and help him win. Hinault rode an aggressive race, which he insisted was to demoralize rivals. He claimed his tactics were to wear down opponents and that he knew LeMond would win. Laurent Fignon and Urs Zimmermann were put on the defensive from the first day. Fignon quit due to injuries aggravated by stress. In the Alpe d'Huez stage Hinault mounted an early attack that gained a lot of time. LeMond then chased down Hinault and eventually took the yellow jersey from his teammate.

LeMond was later quoted as feeling betrayed by Hinault's tactics. Hinault won more than 200 victories in 12 years. He won the Giro d'Italia in 1980, 1982 and 1985, and the Vuelta a España in 1978 and 1983. He also won Classics including Paris–Roubaix (1981) and Liège–Bastogne–Liège (1977, 1980). His victory in the 1980 Liège–Bastogne–Liège is memorable because of snow from the start. Hinault made a solo attack and finished nearly 10 minutes ahead of his next rival. Bernard Hinault Riding style Hinault was a "boss of the peloton" or le Patron. He was prominent in a riders' strike at Valence d'Agen in the 1978 Tour to protest against split stages, in which the riders had to ride a stage in the morning and another in the afternoon.

He also imposed discipline and often cooperation among riders, once famously decreeing that "there will be no attacks today because tomorrow's stage will be difficult". He was respected by riders but feared by many for his temperament. If he felt slighted by another rider he would use his strength to humiliate the offender. To the public, Hinault was often arrogant, remote, and shy of publicity. When an interviewer suggested he devote more attention to fans, Hinault replied, "I race to win, not to please people". Bernard Hinault Retirement After retiring in 1986, Hinault returned to farming in Brittany and worked for the Tour de France organization, appearing at stage finishes to greet stage winners and jersey holders. He also worked for Look, whose owner Bernard Tapie also owned the La Vie Claire team, as a technical consultant and helped develop the Look clipless pedal. He has now finished with farming and in 2008 returned to cycling, but not to racing.

Hinault has lost none of his fire in recent years: upon seeing a protester jump onto the podium at the end of stage 3 of 2008's Tour de France, in front of the winner, Samuel Dumoulin, Hinault leapt forward without hesitation and shoved the protester off. In December 2013 it was announced that Hinault would be taking on a role as "patron" with the British Team Raleigh-GAC squad for the 2014 season. In July 2014 it was announced that Hinault and his former teammate Greg LeMond at the 1986 Tour de France would be featured in a 30 for 30 film titled Slaying The Badger to be directed by John Dower. The film is based on the book of the same name by Richard Moore and was first shown on July 22, 2014 on ESPN. Bernard Hinault References ^ Moore 2011, p.21. ^ Fotheringham, William (25 May 2015). "Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling by William Fotheringham". cyclingnews.com.

Retrieved 26 May 2015. ^ Wilcockson, John (18 November 2005). "Inside Cycling with John Wilcockson: LeMond, Hinault and the Tapie connection". VeloNews. Retrieved 4 July 2015. ^ Henrys, Colin (6 December 2013). "Tour de France legend Bernard Hinault becomes Team Raleigh patron". Roadcycling UK. Retrieved 11 December 2013. ^ "Slaying the Badger". ESPN. Retrieved 20 July 2014. ^ a b "Palmarès de Bernard Hinault (Fra)" [Awards of Bernard Hinault (Fra)]. Memoire du cyclisme (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2015. ^ "Bernard Hinault". Cycling Archives. de Wielersite. Retrieved 10 July 2015. ^ "Bernard Hinault (France)". The-Sports.org. Info Média Conseil. Retrieved 10 July 2015. Bibliography Moore, Richard (2011).

Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France. London: Yellow Jersey Press. ISBN978-0-224-08290-7. When-if Ever-Was Cycling Drug-Free? - Scientific American Blog Network When-if Ever-Was Cycling Drug-Free? Report Ad Armstrong riding in the 2005 Tour de France. Credit: Bjarte Hetland via Wikimedia Commons “It’s a great rarity today for someone to achieve athletic success who doesn’t take drugs.” That quote seems rather timely, in the wake of the news that cyclist Lance Armstrong will no longer fight the accusations of doping leveled at him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency . The charges may cost Armstrong all seven of his Tour de France titles. The development in Armstrong’s case follows two recent drug suspensions in baseball—in the past 10 days Melky Cabrera, an All-Star outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, and Bartolo Colón, a starting pitcher for the Oakland Athletics, both received 50-game bans after testing positive for artificial testosterone. But the quote above has nothing to do with modern-day athletics.

It comes from a retired track coach quoted in a 1971 New York Times Magazine article. (The article’s author, sportswriter and activist Jack Scott, who died in 2000, has one of the more interesting biographies you’ll find—Oberlin College athletic director, Bill Walton confidant, onetime suspected associate of the Symbionese Liberation Army.) Whether or not the coach’s statement then was somewhat hyperbolic, it’s clear that the drug problem has loomed over the sports world for a long time. And although the abuses in cycling have become harder to ignore in just the past two decades, the sport has been home to all manner of chemical enhancements for more than 100 years. Jacques Anquetil, a French cyclist who won the Tour de France five times in the 1950s and 1960s, openly admitted to doping. “Everyone in cycling dopes himself,” he said in Scott’s 1971 article.

“Those who claim they don’t are liars.” In Anquetil’s era, the agents of choice were stimulants such as amphetamines, but as early as the late 1800s cyclists fueled up with a mixture of coca leaf extract and wine called Vin Mariani, according to a 1983 Hastings Center report . Baseball, too, had its period of rampant amphetamine use, which is viewed in an almost nostalgic light now that stronger performance enhancers such as anabolic steroids and human growth hormone have tainted the game’s image. But in endurance sports such as cycling, performance enhancement can be especially deadly. At the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, a Danish cyclist named Knud Enemark Jensen lost consciousness during a race, fell from his bicycle and died. Postmortem tests reportedly revealed the presence of amphetamines in his system. After English rider Tom Simpson collapsed and died during the 1967 Tour de France, amphetamines were found both in his bloodstream and in a vial tucked inside his jersey.

More recently, cyclists have boosted their endurance with the use of an artificial version of the hormone erythropoietin, or EPO, which stimulates red blood cell production and boosts the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood. Danish cyclist Bjarne Riis, who won the 1996 Tour de France, later admitted that he used EPO during that time. EPO thickens the blood, and it also has proved dangerous. After a spate of suspicious rider deaths, a 1991 New York Times article highlighted the deadly potential of the drug du jour. "There is no absolute proof, but there's so much smoke that most of us are convinced," University of Oklahoma hematologist Randy Eichner told the newspaper. "You just don't get 18 deaths in four years, mysteriously, with 10 of them attributed to cardiac problems." Cycling insiders, too, noticed drastic changes in 1991. That is the year that three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond thinks that EPO took over his sport. As he told Scientific American writer Michael Shermer in 2008 , “Something was different in the 1991 Tour.

There were riders from previous years who couldn’t stay on my wheel who were now dropping me on even modest climbs.” LeMond had won the race the two previous years, but he fell to seventh place in 1991. Indeed, since the mid-1990s there have been few Tour winners who did not later run afoul of antidoping authorities. A quick look at 15 years of victors: 1996: Bjarne Riis (EPO; retains title) 1997: Jan Ullrich, Germany (found guilty of doping in 2012; race results annulled back to 2005) 1998: Marco Pantani, Italy (failed a blood test at the 1999 Giro d'Italia; died of a cocaine overdose in 2004) 1999–2005: Lance Armstrong, U.S. (accused of doping; titles likely to be stripped ) 2006: Floyd Landis, U.S.

(race-day tests revealed elevated testosterone levels ; title stripped) 2007: Alberto Contador, Spain (see below) 2008: Carlos Sastre, Spain (clean) 2009–2010: Contador (tested positive in 2010 for clenbuterol, an anabolic agent; 2010 title stripped) It’s a sad state of affairs, but perhaps the latest developments will provide some vindication for LeMond, who has long voiced suspicions about Armstrong, Contador and others. If Armstrong’s seven Tour wins are vacated, just as Landis’s 2006 victory was, LeMond will once again become the only American cyclist to have officially won the world’s most prestigious race. Advertisement | Jacques Anquetil Biography - Childhood, Life Achievements & Timeline Sportspersons Jacques Anquetil Biography Jacques Anquetil was a French cyclist who won the most prestigious 'Tour de France' 5 times. This biography of Jacques Anquetil profiles his childhood, life, cycling career, achievements and timeline.

Quick Facts ÐÐ½ÐºÐµÑÐ¸Ð»Ñ, ÐÐ°Ðº Famous as Cyclist, 5 Times Tour de France Winner Nationality Sophie Anquetil Image Credit Jacques Anquetil was a French cyclist whose journey in cycling started as an amateur and he went on to become a champion cyclist marking a place in the history of the sports. His exceptional ability to beat the clock earned him the title âMonsieur Chronoâ. He emerged as the winner in his first professional race âGrand Prix de Luganoâ. The same year he won the âGrand Prix des Nationsâ which he won eight more times. He made history by becoming the first ever road racing cyclist who has won the âTour de Franceâ 5 times.

The other professional achievements of this extraordinary man include winning the âOverall Four Days of Dunkirkâ , âOverall Giro d'Italiaâ, âCritÃ©rium des Asâ, âOverall ParisâNiceâ, âOverall Vuelta a EspaÃ±aâ and âOverall CritÃ©rium du DauphinÃ© LibÃ©rÃ©â among numerous other titles. His personal life was equally colourful with several relationships. âL'Ãquipeâ the French newspaper tagged him as the champions of champions of France. He was honoured with the âChevalier de l'Ordre national du MÃ©riteâ (The National Order of Merit) and the âChevalier de la LÃ©gion d'honneurâ (the National Order of the Legion of Honour). Childhood & Early Life He was born on January 8, 1934, to Ernest Anquetil and Marie Anquetil. His father was a builder in Mount-Saint-Aignan in Normandy, France.

He was brought up in Normandy in a strawberry farm and later shifted with his parents and brother Philippe in Boisguillaume. In 1941 his father joined the other family members to work in the farm. He got his first bicycle at four years of age and would ride the Alcyon twice daily to make a round to the village and return covering approximately a distance of 1Â½ km. He joined a technical college in Sotteville-lÃ¨s-Rouen to study metal-turning. He gave up his first choice of running and followed his friend Maurice Dieulois to join the âAC Sottevillaisâ club as he was fascinated by the attention his friend received from girls after becoming a âcoureur cyclisteâ. On December 2, 1950, he got his racing licence. After qualifying in light engineering he took a job in a factory in Sotteville but left it soon. AndrÃ© Boucher, a cycle dealer ran the âAC Sottevillaisâ club and he prepared the members first with bicycles and thereafter with motorised bicycle, derny.

Many cyclist including Claude LeBer and Jean Jourden remained members of the club. Jacques Anquetil picked up the skill fast and won several tournaments as an amateur cyclist. On May 3, 1951 he won the âRouenâs âPrix Maurice Latourâ and in the following year he earned the French national amateur road championship title. Career In 1952 he was included in the French team in the âSummer Olympicsâ and earned a bronze medal in the hundred kilometre team road race. Following his impressive performance, AndrÃ© Boucher recommended him to Francis PÃ©lissier, the cycling team manager of âLa Perleâ and also a former rider of the âTour de France. He was offered 30,000 old francs per month by Francis PÃ©lissier to ride as an independent cyclist for âLa Perleâ.

In 1953, he emerged as the winner in his first professional race âGrand Prix de Luganoâ as also the âGrand Prix des Nationsâ race thus becoming the unofficial champion of time trial at nineteen years of age. He won the âGrand Prix de Luganoâ seven more times in 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1965 and 1966. The âGrand Prix des Nationsâ race was won by him eight more times in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1961, 1965 and 1966. On September 22, 1954 he joined the army for a compulsory two years service and was posted as a gunner at the Richepanse de Rouen barracks.

In June 1956 he was asked by his chief to break the hour record for cycling which was held by Fausto Coppi since November 7, 1942. He agreed that if successful he would give away the reward, half of which shall be retained by the army while the other half will be given to the mother of a soldier, AndrÃ© Dufour who died while fighting at Palestro, Algeria. On June 29, 1956 he was ultimately successful in beating Coppiâs record of 45.848 km and creating a new hour record of 46.159 km. He also set a record by winning the âSuper Prestige Pernod Internationalâ four times in the years 1961, 1963, 1965 and 1966. His record was later beaten by Eddy Merckx who won it seven consecutive times starting from 1969.

His other achievements include winning the âGiro d'Italia' twice in 1960 and 1964, the âVuelta a EspaÃ±aâ in 1963, the âCritÃ©rium du DauphinÃ© LibÃ©rÃ©â twice in 1963 and 1965, the âGentâWevelgemâ in 1964 and the âLiÃ¨geâBastogneâLiÃ¨geâ in 1966. In 1967 he made a new hour record of 47.493 km but it was not considered a record as he refused to take a doping test. He considered it disrespectful to undergo a urine test in a tent encompassing a crowded velodrome. Achievements In 1957 he took part in his first âTour de Franceâ and emerged winner. After a gap of few years he again rode the âTour de Franceâ in 1961 and won the race again.

His winning spree in âTour de Franceâ continued in the years 1962, 1963 and 1964 thus becoming the first rider to win the title for five times. Personal Life & Legacy On December 22, 1958, he married his doctorâs wife Janine Boeda who was already a mother of two children - Annie and Alain. After Janineâs pregnancies failed, the couple considered surrogacy and later approached Annie who gave birth to his daughter Sophie. Jacques Anquetil had an affair with Dominique, wife of his step-son Alain when the couple joined the Anquetil house. Dominique also had a child from Anquetil. He and Janine later divorced and Sophie began to stay with Janine. Although he was in general a rational person he often reflected his superstitious nature that many a times overpowered his personality and professional life. He never concealed rather advocated and argued his case strongly for use of drugs to enhance performance and even appointed a lawyer following his disqualification and imposition of fine by the âBelgian cycling federationâ.

After retirement from professional cycling he was engaged with several organisations in various capacities. He remained a race director for âParis-Niceâ, a managing committee member of âFÃ©dÃ©ration FranÃ§aise de Cyclismeâ and a corespondant of âL'Ãquipeâ among others. On November 18, 1987 he succumbed to stomach cancer. Millions of people including eminent personalities attended his funeral. He was buried in Quincampoix, a village in north-western France. Translate this page to Spanish, French, Hindi, Portuguese Pictures of Jacques Anquetil The Top 25 All-Time Tour de France Riders | Bleacher Report The Top 25 All-Time Tour de France Riders Use your ← → (arrow) keys to browse the slideshow 16.7K 8 Comments With Lance Armstrong's tweet indicating this is "his" last Tour de France, it seemed appropriate to compile a list of the Top 25 riders in Tour history. There are 20 who won multiple Tours, and more than a few who landed on the podium more than they won...

So the list is subjective, but weighed on overall performance, not just wins. For example Raymond Pouidor, "the eternal second" never won, never even wore the Yellow Jersey for a single stage, but finished second three times, and third five times, the last of which he was 40 years old. Claudio Chiappucci makes the list as well, having never won, but like Poulidor, was important to the tours he finished, and an attack on LeMond in the 1990 Tour after LeMond flatted early in a climb. El Diablo may have made the list specifically for that move... And with that we are off... No. 25 Claudio Chiappucci Claudio Chiappucci makes the list on style points alone. OK so style points, two KoM awards, and three podiums in an era of Indurain and LeMond dominance. Chiappucci won the yellow jersey on a Stage One attack in the 1990 Tour that gifted him a ten-minute lead that he did not give up until the final ITT on Stage 20.

Greg LeMond won the race by a little over two monutes, but a little-known rider from Lombardy became a star. Chiappucci finished second twice and third once before falling from the top almost as quickly as he'd arrived. Next » No. 22 Jean Alavoine Jean Alavoine won an amazing 17 stages in the Tour de France and wore the yellow jersey for five days. While he never won a Tour, he finished second twice and third three times. His stage victories places him eighth for total stages won, but the truly amazing thing is the 14-year spread between his first and last stage victories. Another rider whose career was limited by the four years from 1915-1918 in which the Tour was interrupted by WWI, Alavoine still managed 1.7 victories a year average for his Tours. In the 1922 Tour he won stages 5-6-7 at the age of 34 and led until the 11th stage when a mechanical issue dropped him 37 minutes back. He eventually finished second. No.

19 Ottavio Bottecchia Ottavio Bottecchia won the Tour de France twice and finished second in his first attempt. In the 1924 Tour, Ottavio wore the yellow jersey from start to finish, along with four stage wins. After abandoning the 1926 Tour in a rain storm, Ottavio left a broken rider and was never the same. In 1927, Bottecchia was found along a road in a Vineyard with multiple fractures, including one to his skull, and after his last rights, was taken to hospital, where he died 12 days later. The death was ruled accidental, but many questions remain... Bottecchia's name would play a role in the 1989 Tour, when Greg Le Mond rode a Bottecchia to victory over Laurent Fignon by eight seconds. Next » No. 17 Alberto Contador Alberto Contador is going to be a controversial choice this far down the list, but he has only won three stages and two Tours. This sets him pretty far down the list of two-time winners and decededly further back than several one-time winners and even behind two non-winners.

His victories have not been dominant, and in producing this piece, I have chosen to look only at the body of work, versus potential and/or results outside of the Tour. His 2007 win was solid, but he lost time to his teammate Levi Leipheimer in both a mountain stage, as well as the final time trial where he lost 2:18 to his teammate. With that said, if I revisit this list in five years, Alberto may join the great Tour riders, like Armstrong and Merckx. But for now, he is where he is... Next » No. 14 Richard Virenque Richard Virenque is another rider who never won the Tour, but holds a place in the Top 25. Virenque won seven polka dot jerseys between 1994 and 2004, and along with those, won seven stages with mountain top finishes, including wins on Ventoux and Luz Ardiden. Virenque is not without controversy, as are many of the others on this list.

He was forced to abandon, along with his team in 1998 and later admitted to having doped, however his words were twisted into "à l'insu de mon plein gré" ("willingly but without knowing") and became a part of French culture. After serving a ban, he came back to the Tour to win another two polka dot jerseys. Ironically, while the French were yelling "dopage" at Armstrong, they were creering on Virenque. Next » No. 8 Louison Bobet Louison Bobet did not start out a grand tour rider in the class of Coppi, or Bartali, but he did what no one up to his time had accomplished. He won three straight from 1953-1955. The last of these left him with boils that had to be operated on, and he was never again to win the Tour. Like Armstrong nearly 50 years later, his first win was seen as a "Tour without Stars" and his victory was, therefore, discounted as such. After another two wins, he had cemented his place in Tour lore and has a rightful place in the top 10 of this list. No.

6 Greg LeMond Greg LeMond, like Phillipe Thys, had a break in his run for Tour victories. Instead of a World War, it was a hunting accident with his brother-in-law that left LeMond wondering if his 1986 victory would be his last. LeMond finished third in his first Tour at 23 years old, second in a 1985 tour that showed he was, without doubt, the class of the field. If not for a promise to ride for Greg in 1986, Bernard Hinault would have ended on four victories and LeMond would have been on a level field with four of his own. LeMond's three victories all came with drama... 1986 - Hinault backed off his promise to support Greg for aiding in his fifth win, and Greg raced on a divided LaVieClaire team. Half rode for Hinault and the others rode in support of LeMond. Then came the accident and, two years away, that allowed Stephen Roche and Pedro Delgado to win their only Tours.

1989 - LeMond racing on division two team (Pro Continental)ADR showed the form that made him a star in the mid 1980's, and with little support, won the closest tour in history over Laurent Fignon on the final time trial in Paris. 1990 - LeMond firmly the favorite, nearly lost on the first stage when little-known Claudio Chiappucci, along with three others, took 10:30 out of the field. It wasn't until the 20th stage that LeMond regained the lead in the final time trial. The 1991 Tour began as another LeMond show, until he cracked in the high mountains while wearing the Yellow jersey, and Miguel Indurain began his five-year run of victories, and LeMond faded into retirement. Indurain rode to five consecutive Tour victories, from 1991-1995. So how is he number five on the list? He was, up until Lance Armstrong, the rider against the clock of his generation, and of his 12 stage victories, only two come from outside the ITT.

His victories were incredible feats of power and defensive riding, but lacked panache, or flair. He destroyed his rivals in the race against the clock, then just sat wheels for the rest of the race, rarely attacking in the high mountains. So how again is he No. 5? I had four riders to separate with five victories each, and style points count in my book. Next » No. 4 Jacques Anquetil Jacques Anquetil was the first to win the Tour five times, and the first French rider to wear the yellow jersey from start to finish. He was also the first to win four straight Tours, and amassed 16 stage victories in his career. A great rider against the clock, Anquetil raced for money, not pride and, much like today's Tour specialists, he took great care in the details of winning. Never one to use too much energy, always just enough to win. When asked how he felt about a five-second victory, he replied "it was four seconds too much." The French did not love him as they did Poulidor, and his lack of style points did not win him many fans, but he was an amazing bike racer...still, style points count and this leaves him fourth on my list. No.

3 Bernard Hinault "The Badger" Hinault won an incredible 28 stages and five Tours, from 1978-1985, and was second twice, in 1984 and 1986. Where Indurain and Anquetil were surgeons, slicing away minutes and seconds in ITT's, Hinault was all agression, ready to strike when an opponent showed any weakness. In the 1985 win he came back from a crash that broke his nose in an early sprint stage. (The photo above shows two black eyes from this crash) His reign could have equaled Armstrong's if not for reoccurring knee issues that kept him out of the race more than once, and forced his abandonment while leading in another. It is hard to believe that Hinault is the last French rider to win the Tour de France. No. 2 Eddy Merckx "The Cannibal" Eddy is the greatest bike racer of all-time, and slots in at No. 2 on this list, but just barely. While he has two fewer wins than our No. 1 rider, his stage victories, 34, are nine more than our No. 1.

Eddy was so dominant that the organizers asked him to not ride in 1973, and Merckx granted that wish, instead winning the Giro and Vuelta. Merckx won not only the yellow jersey, but the green (points) and polka dot (mountain) jerseys as well, a feat which has never been matched in a single Tour. Only Rominger and Jalabert have won all three jerseys, but in seperate Tours. Merckx had his run in with diversity as well when a fan kidney punched him on his run for a sixth victory. Merckx never fully recovered and lost that tour, leaving him with five wins. No. 1 Lance Armstrong "The Boss" Lance Armstrong's story is well known, and seven victories in the Tour are two more than anyone else in Tour History. Like Indurain, he stamped his name on it when he won all seven in a row, but unlike Indurain, he did it with agression, as well as being nearly unbeatable against the clock for several years. Armstrong has similarities to many of the great riders in his swagger and attacking style, but has also been a shrewd tactician, and actor some would argue.

On the Alpe d'Huez stage in 2001, Armstrong feigned weakness before turning around to see his rivals faces, before racing away on the lower slopes of Alpe d'Huez, in a scene that would later be described as "The Look". Armstrong gifted Pantani a stage win in 2000, which would later lead to a war of words before Lance won that addition as well. Like Hinault and Anquetil, Armstrong was almost universally hated in France for his single-minded focus on the Tour, and of course, his run of victories. After the seventh Armstrong retired and left the race to others, before returning in 2009 and finishing an amazing third at 37 years old. Earlier this week, Lance announced via Twitter that this would be his last Tour de France. Can he win another one? 7 Legends of the Tour de France 7 Legends of the Tour de France 7 Legends of the Tour de France Brooke Tully July 09, 2014 Loading Facebook Like button...

7 All-Time Legends of the Tour de France For 100 and almost one years, the Tour de France has been where men become legends – where names are revered and forever set in sporting history. There is no other endurance race that captures the world’s attention quite like the Tour – each year we spectators are whipped into a frenzy as we watch athletes push themselves to – and beyond – unimaginable limits. Who are the ultimate legends of the Tour? It’s a question that can fire up a heated debate and keep us guessing well past the ride and into the coffee shop. But we’ve given it a crack. Accept it or reject it – what do you think of these seven? #137063112 / gettyimages.com 1 Eddy Merckx – raced 1960s + 1970s Would anyone be brave enough to suggest otherwise?

Let’s take a quick look – five Tour de France wins during 13 years of racing (including winning all jersey classifications in one year) which also included 476 pro races, five wins at the Giro d’Italia, five Liège-Bastogne-Liège wins, three Paris-Roubaix victories, and three World Championships (both as a pro and as an amateur). The jury’s out as to which Tour is the most memorable, but we’re going with his first in 1969. Not only did he take home the final GC (his closest competitor was eight minutes behind), but he won six stages including a green jersey and a polka dot jersey. That’s a full suite – the white jersey (for young riders) was not around at that time. In his heyday, ‘The Cannibal’ from Belgium was six feet, 195 pounds of pure cycling power. An all-rounder known for devouring his foes, Merckx is considered by many to not just be the greatest legend of the Tour, but the greatest pro cyclist who ever competed. We’re finding it hard to argue.

#155591353 / gettyimages.com 2 Bernard Hinault – raced mid 1970s – 1980s There has to be a Frenchman in this mix, and that honour surely must of course go to Hinault. Born in Brittany in 1954, Hinault clocked 250+ victories (52 of which were time trials) across 12 years of racing, including five Tour de France wins (and 28 stage wins in total). Add to the mix three Giro d’Italia wins and two Vuelta a Espana victories, and there is no question this man deserves a rightful place in our Hall of Legends. In ‘85 he won the Tour de France with assistance from Greg Lemond (who did so in return for his commitment to race with and support Lemond the following year). Hinault raced as promised, but he spent much of the time attacking Lemond, supposedly to make him realise he could win in adversity. Ouch! Funnily, Hinault was nicknamed the Badger.

Now there are at least three different stories behind this name – 1/ he would often ride wearing a hairband, which made him look a bit like shaving brush. 2/ in reference to his riding style when cornered and 3/ according to Hinault, it was how local cyclists in the day would acknowledge each other when out riding (how’s it going, badger?). All three sound fairly convincing! #103207389 / gettyimages.com 3 Greg Lemond – raced early 1980s – mid 1990s Le Monster from California cannot be ignored from this inimitable line-up. Indeed – he was the first non-European to win a Tour de France, and remains the only American to win (in light of Armstrong’s titles having been withdrawn). In total, he took home the yellow jersey three times. The stand-out win in our mind is 1989. He’d broken his wrist early into race season two years prior, and had returned to America to recuperate. Whilst out hunting with a relative, he was accidentally shot and almost died. That he returned to the Tour – yet alone won it – in 1989 is astounding.

He won it by an eight second margin only – the shortest gap in the history of the Tour – but that was enough to have him in yellow. #52028580 / gettyimages.com 4 Miguel Indurain – raced in 1980s – 1990s The ‘Miguelón’, or ‘Big Mig’ from Spain, takes us back to the brilliance of the European cyclists. Indurain won five consecutive Tours de France – a feat no other cyclist has accomplished other than Lance Armstrong, who has since had his wins revoked. But that’s not all – he also holds the record for the most number of consecutive Tour de France stage wins. He is one of only seven cyclists to win a Tour and a Giro d’Italia (of which he won two) in the same year. Known as Spain’s greatest sportsman and renowned for his time trial ability, Indurain also boasts a bit of a freak-of-nature feature – he has a positively extraordinary lung capacity. His resting heart rate is 28 beats per minute – a figure that would qualify most mere mortals as dead. 1991 was the year Indurain won his first Tour de France.

At the time, it was thought Greg Lemond had it in the bag and that certainly appeared to be the case – right up until his lead at the twelfth stage. But come the following day, Lemond cracked on the Tourmalet and was passed by Indurain. Up until then, nobody thought the giant Spaniard was a threat in the hills – his strength was in time trialling. But Indurain proved them wrong. He gained seven minutes on Lemond and created a lead that he maintained for the rest of the Tour. 5 Jacques Anquetil – raced in 1950s – 1960s Oui, oui – it seems only right that the host nation appear twice on this list. This time the accolade goes to Anquetil, otherwise known as M. Crono for his time trial prowess. Anquetil was the first cyclist to win five Tours de France, the first French cyclist to win the Giro d’Italia (1960) and the first cyclist to win all three Grand Tours in the one year (1963). Anquetil might have also been one of the first cyclists to recognise the advantage of a bit of public power talk.

Just prior to the 1961 Tour de France Anquetil said he would win the yellow jersey on stage one and hold it for the rest of the Tour. Mighty fighting words! But that’s exactly what he did. Anquetil also gets a special commendation from us for carrying a small comb around to make sure he looked schmicko for the cameras. We’re sensing this was a character before his (social media) time. #93007623 / gettyimages.com 6 Fausto Coppi – raced in late 1930s – late 1950s Viva l’Italia! We love the pazzaz and penache the Italians typically bring to the Tour, but with Coppi there was an element of vulnerability. The ‘Campionissimo’ (champion of champions) rightly earned his title after seven Grand Tour wins (two Tour de France; five Giro d’Italia) and the World Championships in 1953. Coppi raced during post WWII, a time when his home country needed a superstar and all the hope that came with it.

That explains why he suffered malnutrition as a child, which had devastating consequences on him as an adult. Although his cycling thighs were huge, his bones were brittle from lack of nutrients and vitamins growing up. As a result he suffered more than 20 serious bone fractures during his racing career. Coppi and his fellow countryman Gino Bartali would race against each other, and in doing so the two took on almost mythical status back home. But these two also reminded us that good sportsmanship and Tour de France can – and do – go hand-in-hand. In 1949 the two were at it in the Tour de France, and it looked like it was all going Coppi’s way as he thundered up Izoard Pass Loch this can link to the route guide . But it was the 35th birthday of his team mate Bartali, and so Coppi gifted him yellow as the ultimate birthday present. Buon compleanno! #148033810 / gettyimages.com 7 Cadel Evans – raced 2000s – present We’re not wrapping this up until we include some home-grown talent into the mix.

OK, so Cadel hasn’t won at least three Tours de France (although he came second in 2007 and 2008), but he’s the first Australian to win one and along with Lemond, one of only two non-Europeans to take home yellow (both Armstrong and Landis had theirs revoked). That makes him a legend in Australia! 2011 is etched in our memory – seeing an Aussie atop of the podium in Paris was an incredible moment. BikeExchange.com.au almost went into meltdown with requests and enquiries for BMC bikes and tens of thousands of fans flocked to Melbourne’s Federation Square to honour him upon his return. We’re revved up about the next time we will see an Aussie wear yellow in Paris. It might not be that far away… Loading Facebook Like button... Greatest Cyclist of All Time Italian cyclist of the 1920s and 1930s Bernard Hinault French cyclist, won the Tour de France five times Francesco"Checco" Moser Italian road racer.

one of the dominant riders from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s Eddy Merckx Belgium rider, won the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia five times each Fausto Coppi Italian rider, won the Tour de France twice, and the Giro d'Italia five times. Felice Gimondi Italian rider, One of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours of road cycling: Tour de France, Giro d'Italia , and Vuelta a España Gino Bartali Italian champion road cyclist, won the Giro d'Italia three times and the Tour de France in 1938 and 1948. Famously won three consecutive mountain stages (13, 14 and 15) in the 1948 Tour de France. Hubert Opperman Australian cyclist known for his endurance feats Jacques Anquetil French road racing cyclist. He was the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, between 1957 and 1964. Jan Ullrich German professional road cyclist.

He was the first German to win the Tour de France (1997) Lance Armstrong From the USA, once held the record for 7 Tourn de France wins. He was found guilty of doping in 2012, but still undeniably one of the greatest ever cyclists. Louison Bobet French cyclist. First rider to win the Tour de France in 3 successive years (1953 to 1955) Marco Pantani Italian. He won both the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia in 1998 Miguel Indurain

Question: Which French cyclist won the Tour de France four consecutive times in the 1960’s?
Answer: Jacques Anquetil